NHL (National Hockey League) Discussion

I think that sports is a great metaphor for business. But especially the NHL. With the best of 7 format in the post-season it is a game of speed, endurance, skill, and mental fitness. The best teams improve as the post-season progresses and prove they want the Cup the most.

In the 2018/2019 season the Tampa Bay Lightning were the team with the record-tying most wins in a season. They were very impressive, said to have "no weaknesses and a lot of star power". Yet they were beaten in 4 straight games in the first round of the post-season by a wildcard team that barely qualified. Ouch.

Who do you think will be in the Stanley Cup final in 2019?

From what I've seen so far, my prediction is it will be Dallas Stars v Carolina Hurricanes.

I don't know, but I know it is no team from Canada and that makes me .
As a kid I remember watching playoffs every year with my Dad, and it always was either Montreal or Toronto. That seems such distant past now.
Bob

I don't know, but I know it is no team from Canada and that makes me .
As a kid I remember watching playoffs every year with my Dad, and it always was either Montreal or Toronto. That seems such distant past now.
Bob

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I had high hopes for the Leafs this year. But found their defense lacking and the reason they lost the first round. They shouldn't have traded the goalie Curtis McElhinney, who now helped the Hurricanes make it into the conference final.

I haven't been following the Western Conference as much but in the Eastern Conference, both wildcard teams, Columbus and Carolina, have really impressed me. I think its because they were in post-season mode since before the end of the regular season.

As far as Canadian teams are concerned, I think the owners are too much relying on the legacies of the teams. And the fact that Canadians will always go to see their teams play, win or lose, because hockey is such a part of the national culture. In the US, if teams are not winning the bottom line is much more negatively affected. But teams like Toronto are building to compete for the Cup.

Yes, I agree. There are too many inconsistencies in the calls. They allow a lot of things go that would be penalties in regular season but do call them penalties at other times. I think the refs are conflicted about not appearing to be deciding the outcomes yet try to apply the rules. They seem to allow the players commit infractions couple of times without calling them such, but on the third or fourth time they call it a penalty.

There should be more video reviews. Like there is now in FIFA. If a ref doubts his call or believes he missed a call, he should be allowed to review the video for penalty infractions, not just goals. This would make things more consistent for the players.

I don't know, but I know it is no team from Canada and that makes me .
As a kid I remember watching playoffs every year with my Dad, and it always was either Montreal or Toronto. That seems such distant past now.
Bob

Canada: for a Canadian team to win, they need NHL to go back to old rules giving them home grown talent draft preferences.

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At the same time, there is only 7 Canadian teams on 31 teams. So right from the start, there is only a 22% chance it happens.

Just over 18% chances of a Canadian team reaching the Finals in the East. 3 teams out of 16.

One thing for sure, we won't win a cup again in Montreal. With our high taxes, we can't attract star UFAs anymore. If they get an 8 millions offer somewhere else, we have to offer 11-12 millions to make it equal. It makes it pretty hard to compete.

At the same time, there is only 7 Canadian teams on 31 teams. So right from the start, there is only a 22% chance it happens.

Just over 18% chances of a Canadian team reaching the Finals in the East. 3 teams out of 16.

One thing for sure, we won't win a cup again in Montreal. With our high taxes, we can't attract star UFAs anymore. If they get an 8 millions offer somewhere else, we have to offer 11-12 millions to make it equal. It makes it pretty hard to compete.

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22% is an ok chance. No cups in 26 years, meanwhile. With 22% chance, their should have been at least a cup with around 98% probability, if that was the only factor.

They can afford the best players. Toronto had the first pick a few years back when they acquired Austin Matthews and they added to their offence when they acquired John Traverse. However teams are building in terms of youth and looking long-term.

I think that after the performance of Washington and Pittsburgh that those teams will start building again.

Edmonton, Montreal, and Toronto have the 3 highest paid NHL players in the league.

So it is not that Canadian teams can’t afford best players. But it also comes down to the overall team and coaching.

For example, Winnipeg had a great season but lost to St. Louis in round 1. Part of the reason, I believe, was the coaching. In the elimination game, the Winnipeg coach challenged a goal in the first minutes of the game and lost that challenge. But when a later goal was clearly shown to be disallowable in video replay, he couldn’t challenge it and also lost his time-out.

Toronto, though, I think has great coaching but needs to get better defensive lineups and a great back-up goalie. Brandan Shanahan, the current president, and the coach, Mike Babcock, seem to be determined to create a winning culture at the club.